William egberts



(No Model.)

W. ROBERTS. GRINDING AND AMALGAMATING PAN.

No. 448,731. Patented Mar. 24, 18911.

liza/aislar: )Z'Z'Z'a R @Zeri/5J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I YVILLIAM ROBERTS, OF PETERSIIAM, NEAR SYDNEY, NEWT SOUTH NVALES,

ASSIGNOR TO IIIMSELF AND HOVARD RAYMOND BELDEN, OF SAME PLACE.

cRlNoiNe ANniAMALeAMATiNe PAN.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,731, dated March 24, 1891. i

Application filed January l0, 1890. Serial No. 338,520. (No model.) Patented in Victoria November 29, 1889, No. 7,310, and in Queensland February 27, 18 90, No. 884.

ent in theBritish colonies ofVictoria and Queensland, dated, respectively, November 29, 1889, No. 7,310, and February 27, 1890, No. 8841,) of which the following is a'specication.

This invention relates to improvements in grinding and amalgamating pans; and it has been specially devised in order to produce machines of such description as will thoroughly and quickly crush, grind, or disintegrate metalliferous and other materials, and, if desired, effectively amalgamate preciou metals contained therein. i

The invention consists in structural fea tures and combinations of parts or co-operative elements, as will now be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which@ y Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a top plan, of a grinding and amalgamating apparatus embodying my invention.

The apparatus is supported by a suitable frame-work, in which are formed the bearings for the revoluble elements, B indicating the shaft that carries at its upper end a bevelwheel as a means for imparting motion to said shaft, which also carries a sleeve B', that is connected with the shaft by a spline or feather, so as to partake of the rotation thereof and yethave free vertical motion. The sleeve is provided with a collar G2, that serves as a bearing for the annular end of lifting-lever G, that is fulcrumed at G in the fork of a bolt connected with a bracket G3, secured to the upper bearing for the shaft B. The opposite end of the lever'G is pivotally connected with an elevatin g-screw G, that works in a threaded bearing G, secured to the supporting frame Work.

Around the sleeve B is formed a feed vesdischarge end of the feed or supply pipe E,

through which the material operated is fed to receptacle E from any suitable reservoir or holder. (Not shown.)

From the feed-vessel E radiate a numb-er of arms B2, as well as a number of distributing-pipes E2, that are 'in communication with feed-vessel E and extend outwardly, so as to discharge the material at a point close to the outer wall of the Vouter pan.

Some of the radial arms B2 are provided with bearings for a spindle C', on the outer end of which is mounted a muller O, that has the'form of a truncated cone and is preferably hollow and open at the end of greatest diameter, said open end being closed by a back plate O3 to prevent the material or the mercury from entering` the muller. In Fig. 2 I have shown four mullers, all operating in the outer section ci of the amalgamating-pan, which is composed of a plurality of pan-sections and a central or axial cylindrical section d4, open at top and bottom, there being shown three concentric pan-sections 0, a2 a3, each constituting a grinding and amalgamating pan. As shown in Fig. l, the concentric sections are separated by a comparatively low partition relatively to the inclosing wall of" the outer section u', so as to admit of the overiiow of the material from one pan-section to the other. The bottom of these pan-sections is inclined outwardly or radially and its lower edge is curved,and each of said sections is provided with a removable false bottom or Wearingsurface A', that is of less width than the bottom of the pan-sections and of such thickness as to nearly ill the space between the bottom of the parvsection and the upper edge of the partition-wall. By this construction and arrangement I not only obtain a comparatively shallow inwardly-rising grinding-surface, but also a comparatively deep annular well A? at the foot of the incline and encomhand, the advantages of removable wearingsurfaces will be readily understood bythose conversant with apparatus of the class under consideration. To the arms B2 are also secured drags d d2 d3, of which I have shown four foreach pan-section. About one-third (more or less) of the underor grinding face of these drags is fluted or corrugated from that end which lies in the direction of rotation of the drags toward its center, as shown at D2 in dotted lines in Fig. i.

The object of tiuting or corrugating that portion of the under side of the drags that lies in the direction of motion is to prevent the drags from acting as scrapers and push the material over them as they revolve. By flirting the drags, as described, channels are formed that will allow the material to pass under them and be acted upon by the noncorrugated or actual grinding-surface. On the other hand, this construction also avoids splashing and the pushing of the material bcfore it is properly acted upon over the shallow partition -wall between two concentric pan-sections. These drags are ad jurtably connected with the arms Bby means of bolts D3, and to the support of eaeh drag is secured a teaser or stirrer B3, and a splashboard B4 is secured to the outer ends of the arms B2 that do not carry a muller, said splash-boards performing also the function of teasers and preventing the splashing of the material as the mullcrs travel over the same. It has hereinbefore been stated that the sleeve B is free to slide vertically on shaft B. This is necessary in order to allow the mullers to travel over the uneven surface formed by the comminuted ores, the drags partaking of this movement; hence the use of the splash-boards.

Below the central open-ended pan-section is arranged the receiver F, that discharges into the delivery-chute or lander li".

In operation the tailings or other metallifcrous material or sand, dre., are supplied with water from a convenient receiveror feed-box, and the shaft B is set in motion, say, by bevel-gearing, as shown, and when amalgamation is carried on mercury is supplied in pans and wells A2. 'lhe material is fed to hopper E', and is distributed therefrom by the pipes E2 to the outer part or mercury-well of the outer pan a', thence passing onto the upwardly-inclined grinding-surface thereof, where it is ground or reduced by the mullers and drags and ovcrtlows into mereuryvell of pan a2, and so on until the material reduced to an almost impalpable powder reaches the inner circular amalgamating-well, and from thence passes to the receiver F and toland'er F', from which it flows to waste or is collected for further treatment. The material in the mercury-wells ot' the several pans is continuously stirred up by the splash-boards B'1 and teasers B3, respectively, so that the separation of the particles of precious metal from the ore and its amalgamation with the mercury is rendered more complete. In all the wells A2 teasers similar to Bl are preferably placed outside the splash-board Bi. The disk I2', being vertically loose on shaft B, is free to slide up and down as the mullers C roll over the 'material on the bottom of pan a', and the weight and wear of said mullers regulate the degree of intimacy of drags d', (Z2, and d with bottom of the pans, and this intimacy is further adjusted by the bolts D3, so that the grinding-surfaces A and D just touch, but have no grip one on the other. As the drags d', d?, and dis travel around, the flutes or corrugations therein allow the pulp to pass freely under instead of being pushed in front. In order that the operations may be easily started after stoppage with pulp in the pans7 the hand-wheel G5 is revolved, and by means of lever Gr under collar-bracket G2 lifts the whole of the gear on disk B clear of the obstructing pulp in the pans.

Although I have described the mullers as operating Within the outer annular pan-section d', it will be understood that one or two pairs of mullers may be providedl for one or both of the other annular pan-sections, and that a greater or less number of such sections than that described and shown may bc provided. It will also be understood that it is not material to the working of this invention whether the pans proper or the grinders proper have motion imparted to them so long as there is relative motion-that is, that either the disk B and its attachments are still and the pans a', a2, and a3 revolve, or, as is preferred and as shown, the former are revolved and the latter are stationary. Of course, when the pan is caused to revolve the liuting of the then stationary drags will be at that end toward which the pan moves.

Having new particularly described and explained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is-V 1. An ore grinding and amalgamating machine comprising a plurality of concentric pan-sections having comparatively shallow partition-walls, the height of which decreases successively from the outer to the inner pansection, grinding-surfaces for said pan-sec` Ations that incline outwardly in a radial direction, and an amalgamating-well at the foot of and encompassing the grinding-surfaces, said wells lyingin the same horizontal plane, in combination with grinding devices operating' in conjunction with said inclined grinding-surfaces, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. An ore grinding and amalgamating machine comprising a plurality of concentric pan-sections having comparatively shallow partition-walls, the height of which decreases from the outer to the inner pan-section, grinding-surfaces for said pan-sections that incline outwardly in a radial direction, and an amalgamating-well at the foot of and encompassing the inclined grinding-surfaces, said wells lying in the same horizontal plane, in combination with mullers having the form of a trun- IOO IIO

.for the purposes set forth.

3. In an ore grinding and amalgamating pan, a plurality of concentric pan-sections, an annular amalgainating-Well for each of said sections, and grinders operating in the pan-sections, in combination with revoluhle circular splash-boards dipping into the mercury-Well of the outer pan-section, for the purposes set forth.

4. In au ore grinding and amalgamating pan, a plurality ot' concentric pan-sections, an annular arnalgamating-Well for each of said sections, grinders operating in the pansections, and circular splash-boards B, in combination With teasers or traveling stirrers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the shaft B and the sleeve B thereon carrying the muller and dragarms, of the lever G, connected with said sleeve so as to admit of its revolution With the shaft, and the elevatingscrew G5, substantially` as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In an ore grinding and amalgamating apparatus, a series of concentrici intercommunicating pan-sections, an amalgamating Well for each of said sections, a feeding device for feeding the material to the outer pansections, and a central discharge, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In an ore grinding and amalgamating apparatus, a series of concentric intercommunicating pan-sections, au amalgamating- Well for each of said sections, a feeding device for feeding the material to the outer pan-sections, a central discharge, and a mercury-well arranged inl said central discharge, as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination, with the grinding and amalgamating pan, constructed as set forth, of the shaft B, the sleeve B', adjustable on and adapted to revolve With lthe shaft, the reservoir E', the 'distributing-pipes E2, con nec-ted with said reservoir and discharging into the outer annular pa`n-section, and the grinders supported from said sleeve, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM ROBERTS. 

